Fractions are hard to understand without visuals. Pizza lends itself to being cut into fractions, as does pie. Rectangles can be cut into fractions as well. Challenge students to find ways to divide paper cutouts of food products into eighths, sixths, quarters, thirds and halves. Engage students by cooking using a variety of measuring cups and spoons.
Elementary students have a variety of items that they enjoy purchasing, from trading cards and bracelets to bubblegum. Re-word story problems so students have to figure out how many of these popular items they can purchase with a particular sum of money. Make sure and look up the correct prices to add authenticity.
Shhh! Don't tell students the fun computer games on the screen at the computer center are secretly teaching them math. Several online sites offer free computer games geared toward elementary school children. Toon University focuses on first and second grade math skills such as addition, subtraction, and identifying even numbers. ABCya's Tangram provides an opportunity to explore geometry. Other sites such as SCweb4free provide straightforward quizzes for skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Sports provide the perfect opportunity to teach ratios. Ask students to figure out the ratio of free throws made to those missed, or the ratio of soccer goals attempted to those made. Children with a strong interest in sports may even be coaxed into filling out math sheets for extra credit after watching weekend football games. Ask questions like how many passes were received versus the number incomplete. Math-Play.com's game, "Hoop Shot," builds on a student's interest in math, while teaching multiplication.